Golf club head and process of making same



Nov. 10, 1942. R. s. CARVILL 2,301,369

GOLF CLUB HEAD AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jwevzi'ar RALPH S. C/wv/LL has We Nov. 10, 1942; R. s. CARVILL' 2,301,369

' GOLF CLUB HEAD AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 18, 1959 2- Sheets-Sheet 2 We? tlav RALPZ; C/mv/ W}?! X ma Patented Nov. 10, 1942 GOLF oL B HEAD AND PRo'oEss MAKING SAME Ralph's. Carvill, West Somerville, Mass. Application November 18, 1939, Serial No. 305,094 I y 6 Claims.

durable, molded plastic sheath covering the core and .hosel of the club head, the covering preferably being omitted on the striking face of the plate is utilized; the plastic sheath or covering being molded at high pressure, thereby to condense and solidify the core and effectively secure the plastic thereto.

Further objects of the invention reside in the structural features of the club head herein disclosed, which result in a more durable, attractive and efiicient golf club; and in the methods of applying the plastic and weighting the head,

which afford subtsantial economies in manufac-.

ture and provide a club head possessing the advantages of a wooden core and striking face and the advantages of a thick protective covering securely ailxed thereto and permanently preserving the compressed core against scarring or distortion from atmospheric conditions. These features will be explained hereafter and. will be pointed out in the appended claims;'but it will be understood that the structural details of the process or article herein described may be varied to suit particular purposes and conditions without departing from the essence of this invention as set forth in said claims.

Recommended embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in verticalapplying the plastic covering to the club head,

the latter being shown in elevation in the mold;

ferred method of simultaneously cutting a plurality of cores from a block of wood; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary plan and sectional views respectively illustrating an optional manner of forming andidentifying a symbol in the sole plate of the club head.

In the particular form chosen for the purpose of illustration in Figs. 1 to 5, the improved club H head comprises a wooden core ll having the .head and on the sole plate thereof when a sole Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view showing the pre- ,5

grain of the wood extending substantially at right angles to the striking face 12 thereof; a metal sole plate l3 fastened to the bottom of the core; a metal tubeor socket 14 for receiving the club shaft I5, the tube having an end portion [5 bent at an angle to the socket portion l4 and fastened in a recess 16 of the core by pins l1 extending through the core and angle portion l5; a ferrule E8 of wood or other rigid material surrounding the socket portion [4 and abutting the core II; and a relatively thin, molded plastic coating [9 covering the exposed areas of the core, except the striking face thereof and preferably extending over the ferrule [8, socket I4, and a portion of the shaft 15, as shown in Fig. 1. The core also has a central recess 20 communicating with the opening 16; and the latter preferably extends in a plane disposed at an oblique angle to the plane of the striking face l2 of the core, so that the tube end l5 received in said recess [6 is inclined rearwardly with respect to the face l2, thereby to resist torsional strain upon the shaft socket and the shaft itself, resulting from the impact of the striking face upon the golf ball.

The sole plate [3 has a circular upstanding flange 2i fitting in the recess 20 of the core, and is provided with upstanding bosses 22 which are inclined rearwardly relative to the striking face of the club head and whichare received in complemental openings 23 of the core. The openings 23 communicate with inclined screw holes 24; and screws 25, inserted at the top of the core extend through said openings and fasten into the threaded bosses 22, thereby to secure the sole plate to the core.

The curved sides of the sole plate are undercut to provide inwardly beveled tapering margins 26, and a groove or channel 21 on the inner surface of the sole plate extends along said curved sides and around the back 28 of the sole plate. These channels are adapted to receive the plastic material in the manner hereinafter described, to anchor the plastic covering against the edges of the soleplate; and the bottom of the core has complemental curved grooves 29 which also receive and serve to anchor the plastic covering.

For the purpose of providing an inefi'aceable symbol, adapted to identify the particular type of wooden club and distinguish the driver, brassie, spoon, and number four wood from each other, the sole plate is preferably provided with a slot or opening of numerical or other identifying contour, such as the beveled out numeral 1 shown at 30 in Fig. 4. This opening is intended to be filled by plastic so that the plastic symbol will contrast with the metal surface of the sole plate; and the bottom of the core has a groove 3| leading from one of the recesses 29 to the slot 30 of the applied sole plate, so that the plastic will flow through the groove 3| and into the slot 30, during the molding operation described below.

The central recess 20 in the bottom of the) core preferably has a tapering wall (Fig. 3)

and is intended to receive and hold a quantity of lead or other heavy material for'weighting the club head; and the weighting material is preferably applied after the sole plate has been secured to the core, by pouring molten lead through the tube l4, I5 which communicates with said recess as previously explained. It will be evident, however, that part of the weighting metal may be inserted in the central recess 20 before the sole plate is applied, the balance being added subsequently by flowing in molten, solidifiable metal. By this method, the club head may be weighted with extreme accuracy, after the plastic covering has been molded thereon and prior to the insertion of the shaft l5. After tinning the tapered end of the shaft and. the socket |4, the shaft is securely soldered in said socket; and plastic rings 32 may be applied around the shaft adjacent the end of the socket M, to conceal said end and ornament the club by using rings of contrasting color.

An optional mode of displaying a plastic symbol in an opening of the sole plate is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In this modification, .a premolded plastic disc 33 having a numeral 34 fitting the opening of the sole plate I3, is inserted at the back of the sole plate and retained in position by projecting annular flange 35 on the inside of the plate.

The plastic covering I9 is preferably applied to the assembled core, sole plate, shaft socket and socket ferrule, by an injection molding process, under conditions of relatively high pressure (for example, 16,000 pounds) and relatively low temperature (for example, 400 F.), using cellu lose acetate or other non-explosive and noninfiammable, thermo-plastic material. The two mold sections 35 and 31 are shaped to receive depressions at the top of the retaining screws 25. Hence, after the plastic coating has hardened, the club head will be entirely covered thereby. After molding, the opening formed by the mold stud 38 may be filled with a plastic disc, and the stud 39 on the bottom of the sole plate is cut away to leave a smooth and polished surface on the bottom of the sole plate.

The high pressure utilized in the molding operation also tends to condense and solidify the wooden core I! Without excessive compression which might fracture the wood, so that the strik- 1 ing face will be hardened and thus resist dentthe assembled club head. One of the sections,

for example, the upper section 36 has an inwardly projecting stud 38 adapted to bear against the top of the core H; and the other section has a recess receiving a stud 39 formed on the bottom of the sole plate I 3. These studs serve to space the core in the cavity of the mold and gauge the thickness of the plastic coating IS. The striking face II! (which is not covered with plastic) directly engages the side of the mold and this engagement serves to locate the club head in the mold cavity and also to finish or emboss the face, during the molding operation. When the head has been thus located in the cavity, the plastic is injected at low temperature and high pressure, so that it not only covers the exposed surfaces of the head but also flows into the grooves and recesses in the opposed surfaces of the core bottom and face plate, into the symbol slot of the face plate, and into the ing or nicking by contact with golf tees or other objects; and the low temperature avoids any likelihood that the core will be scorched or burned during the molding operation. The relatively thick plastic coating which covers the entire club head except the striking face and sole plate thereof is securely anchored and will serve to protect the core against moisture or other external conditions. The covering also enhances the attractiveness of the golf club and provides a surface which can easily be kept clean and polished.

' By providing a club head having a stemless core, the grain of the wood may extend substantially at right angles to the striking face, as aforesaid, and cores of the type therein described may be produced in quantity by turning operations of the character indicated in Fig. 7 which shows a block of wood 4| mounted on a rotatable shaft 42 carrying a model core 43 and cutters 44 on a rotating shaft 45 having a guide wheel 46 engaging the model. of the model and of the cores cut from the block 4| is disposed at right angles to the shaft 42; and the grain of the block 4| extends in the same direction.

A golf club head manufactured in accordance with the invention herein disclosed retains any desirable features of the wooden clubs now in common use, particularly a wooden striking face, and eliminates the objectionable features thereof, notably the scarring and distortion by atmospheric conditions to which plain wood clubs are subject and which impair the appearance as well as the life and effectiveness of the club; the parallel direction of the grain of the wood with respect to the face of the club, which is a necessary consequence of manufacturing heads with an integral hosel; the light and insecure sole plate which is normally fastened to the bottom of the head by bottom screws which inevitably loosen during use: the provision of weights set in the exterior of the head, which bulge from the head under expansion and contraction thereof, and are likely to become loose or displaced; and the Weakness and insecurity of the shaft joint which is invariably wound with cord to prevent splitting of the wooden hosel in the conventional club.

The improved manufacturing process avoids the necessity of utilizing large-sized club heads, fashioned by skilled craftsmen fromselected and expensive persimmon wood; for the cores may be cut by machine from smaller blocks which are more readily available, and the surface need not be hand finished; for the greater part of the surface is covered by the plastic shell and the molding dies will automatically dress or emboss the striking face of the core ||,--the only exposed wooden surface of the improved club head. The new mechanical process is thus more simple and economical than the former hand .The striking face 41' methods of club head manufacture; yet the resulting product is far superior to the conventional wooden head.

Although a club head made in accordance with this invention possesses special advantages when the club head has a wooden core with the grain of the wood substantially at right angles to the striking face thereof, it will be evident that the core may be made of wood substitutes, such as plastic wood, or equivalent materials; and it is intended that the word wooden as used in the appended claims shall include plastic wood or other substitute materials, as well as natural wood, except where such claims specify that the grain of the wood extends at right angles to the striking face.

I claim:

1. A golf club head comprising a wooden core having a striking face, a metal sole plate secured to the bottom of the core, and a relatively thick molded plastic sheath covering the exposed surface of the core, except the striking face thereof, the outer side of the sole plate being uncovered and flush with the surface of the sheath and the bottom of the core and the inner side of said sole plate having opposed grooves beneath opposite margins of the plate, and the plastic covering abutting the edges of the sole plate and having anchoring portions located in said grooves.

2. A golf club head comprising a wooden core having a striking face, a bottom recess adapted to receive Weighting material and a transverse opening leading to said recess, a hollow metal shaft socket having an end portion bent at an angle with respect to the body portion thereof, said end portion being received in the opening of the core and leading to said bottom recess and the body portion projecting outwardly of the core, whereby molten weighting material may be poured through the shaft socket into said recess, means for securing said end portion to the core, and a sole plate secured to the bottom of the core over said recess.

3. A golf club head comprising a wooden core having a striking face, a bottom recess adapted to receive weighting material and a transverse opening leading to said recess, a hollow metal shaft socket having an end portion bent at an angle with respect to the body portion thereof and received in said opening, means for securing said end portion to the core, a ferrule disposed around said socket, a sole plate secured to the bottom of the core over said recess, said plate having a projection fitting the recess, and a sheath of plastic material molded on the surface of the core around the sole plate and about said ferrule and socket.

4. A golf club head comprising a Wooden core, a sole plate secured to the bottom of the core, the sole plate having an opening therethrough shaped as an identifying symbol and the core bottom having a groove leading from said opening to the margin of the plate, and plastic material molded on the exposed surface of the core and filling said groove and said plate opening.

5. A method of making a golf club head, which comprises shaping a wooden core, forming a recess in the bottom of the core and an opening leading from said recessto the side of the core, securing a sole plate over said recess, inserting the end of a hollow shaft socket into said opening, molding plastic material onto the core and around the socket, and pouring molten, solidifiable weighting material through said socket and into said recess.

6. A golf club head comprising a wooden core having a striking face, a metal sole plate secured to the bottom of the core, and a relatively thick molded plastic sheath covering the exposedsurface of the core, except the striking face thereof, the outer side of the sole plate being uncovered and flush with the surface of the sheath and the plastic covering abutting the edges of the sole plate and having anchoring portions underlying said edges, the bottom of the core having a recess opposed to the inner side of the sole plate, and the anchoring portions of the plastic covering extending into said recess and engaging the inner side of the sole plate.

RALPH S. CARVILL. 

